Miracle Gilbert
by MydnytAngel
Summary: Elena has a bad experience at a party, with rather large consequences. Can both Salvatore's suck up their pride and help her, or will both of them walk away?
1. Chapter 1

He hated hospitals. Absolutely hated them. Not only was there a constant smell of blood, but all other hospitals smells bothered him. Damon leaned against a large pillar in the waiting room, his arms folded over his chest. Jeremy and Ric were also seated in the uncomfortable chairs along with his little brother; all of them waiting for word on Elena. He hadn't heard from her in two days, but he thought nothing of it until Jeremy had told him to get to the hospital as soon as possible. So here he was; his heart in his throat as he they waited. And he hated waiting, more than he hated hospitals.

"Mr. Salvatore?"

Damon nearly rolled his eyes but didn't move from his spot as he watched Stefan approach the doctor. "How is she?"

"Are you Damon?" the doctor asked, peaking Damon's interest.

"I am," he said, stepping forward along side his brother. "What's wrong?"

"I'm her boyfriend," Stefan said in obvious agitation. "Can I see her?"

"I'm sorry," the doctor said, shaking his head. "She is asking for Damon only and I'm afraid we cannot allow her to be upset. So Damon if you'll follow me." Damon hesitated for half a second before following the doctor down the hall as the doctor briefed him on her condition. Elena asked for him only? He didn't want to think anything of it, but he couldn't ignore the little pull in his heart. He knew some part of him so insist that Stefan be the one to go see her, but the larger part of him wanted her all to himself right now. He needed his own reassurance that she was going to be okay. "She's hurt pretty bad and very scared. She might not like you touching her or loud noise."

He thought he had seen everything there was to see in the world, but when he saw her almost lifeless body in the hospital bed, he nearly burst into tears, but he carefully approached her, hating the beeping of the machines echoing in his head. Her breathing was much shallower then he was used to, various bruises on her arms, a bandage over her temple that was already starting to tinge red. "Elena?"

Her swollen eye cracked open, her brown eyes meeting his instantly. "Damon," she said, smiling a little. Her beautiful olive skin was a dark collage of blue and purple marks outlined in red, a few piece of tape holding some lacerations together. The scent of her blood was thick in the air, almost making him sick, but he kept it all to himself.

"Hi Sweetheart," he said softly. "How are you feeling?" He almost cringed, knowing that was such a dumb question to ask, but he wanted to hear from her how she was doing, not from a doctor. He wanted to hear her voice, hear her tell him what happened, but he knew it was going to be ugly.

"Not bad at the moment," she said. "They gave me a healthy dose of morphine for the pain."

Slowly, he lowered his body next to hers picking up her hand. She didn't flinch or pull away from him like the doctor had warned him which he took as a good sign. "Jeremy and Stefan are outside with Ric. Jenna should be here soon," he said. She asked for him specifically and he wanted to ask her why, but it was hardly the place to be trying to put the moves on her, or making her think he was trying to be in Stefan's place.

"I don't want them to see me like this," she said shaking her head a little as a tear slid down the side of her cheek. But she trusted him enough to show her weakness in front of him. He could be strong enough for her where his brother obviously could not. Stefan would smother her, fawn over her, and try to do countless things for her that she didn't need.

"What happened?" he asked. No matter what she said, it wasn't going to be good, and he was going to be angry. Whoever had done this too her was going to pay.

"I went to a party with Caroline," she said. "Of course she bailed on me when we got there and these guys wouldn't leave me alone. I think they put something in my drink because it's all a big blur. I just remember being so tired and dizzy, but that's all. I woke up here." He was very glad that she hadn't asked for Stefan, he would be all in her personal space, suffocating her, most definitely freaking her out. It was going to be a long time before she would be able to let her boyfriend near her in such a physical way.

"Ms. Gilbert," the doctor said, returning to the room. "I have your test results."

"He can stay," she said when he glanced at Damon. Anything the doctor had to say, she wanted Damon to hear.

"I'm afraid… you are pregnant," he said sadly and Damon felt his heart drop. Babies were always a possibility with humans but he knew Elena would never have that with either him or Stefan. Now she had some guy's baby growing inside of her and he could feel the tension fill the room. "Under these circumstances, there are steps you can take."

Elena stared at him in shock and horror and Damon could feel her pulling away from him, but he didn't let her. He gently curled his fingers around her hand, holding it between his larger ones, offering her some silent support while she processed the news. "A baby," she whispered. "I can't… I can't be a mom. I'm only 17."

The doctor hung her chart at the end of her bed. "I'll give you some time with your family to adjust. And when you're ready we can make a decision," he said, leaving them alone.

Damon kissed her hand, squeezing it slightly. "Elena," he said softly. "I can't… tell you what to do in this situation, but I think you would be a great mom. You have a lot of people around you to help." He would never leave her alone to deal with this with no support. He promised himself some time ago that he would always protect her, always be here for her, no matter what. He never imagined a baby would be involved, especially in this kind of world, but he didn't care.

"They would never have a father," she whispered. "What would I tell them when they were older? How would I keep them safe from all the crap we deal with?"

"You can't base your decision on what if's," Damon said softly. "And they'll have awesome uncles. You know me and Stefan would never let anything happen to either of you." The back of his knuckles gently brushed her bruised cheek. "I would never let anything happen to you Elena. Never."

She managed a smile through her tears and there was a knock on the door. "Hi Jenna," she said in a shaky voice.

Damon kissed her finger tips as he got to his feet. "I'll be outside," he said squeezing her hand softly before leaving her with her aunt. He leaned against the wall outside her room, clenching his eyes shut as she struggled to keep his own emotions in check. He knew Elena would not want him to tell anyone what the doctor had said, so he had to calm down before he went to face his brother. Regardless of all the bad things he and Elena had been through, he felt so much closer to her right now, even if the circumstances were awful.

"How is she?" Stefan asked when he finally returned to the waiting room. "Why won't she see me?"

"You know Elena," Damon said collapsing in a chair. "She just doesn't want you to see her like that. She's just a little banged up; some guys slipped something in her drink at a party. But I don't think… there's nothing seriously wrong with her." He had to tell Stefan something about her condition, and he hoped that would be good enough for now.

"Does she know who they were?" Stefan asked, sitting next to him.

Damon growled low in his throat. "No, but you can be damn sure I'm going to find out," he said.

TVD**TVD**TVD**

Damon glanced up from the novel he was reading as Stefan stormed through the front door. "Panties in a bunch?"

"You knew Elena was pregnant?" He flared.

It had been about two weeks since Elena had come home from the hospital and he knew she was breaking the news to everyone slowly. It had taken every ounce of will power to not be jumping up and down all the time with sheer joy at the news, and to see his brother so angry over it confused him. "I was in the room when the doctor told her," Damon said with a shrug. "She won't be able to hide it forever." He didn't know what Stefan was so angry for. It wasn't like she intentionally cheated on him or something. His brother should be overjoyed at this opportunity to be with Elena while she raised a baby..

"You should have told me," Stefan said.

He nearly snorted. He should have spilled the biggest secret Elena had ever shared with him to his brother? In what reality did that make sense? "What difference does it make?" Damon asked, raising an eyebrow. "And… you should have heard it from her, not from me."

"She shouldn't have to raise another man's baby," Stefan said, running a hand through his hair. "What kind of life is that going to be? No father and a life full of vampires? Elena deserves so much more than that Damon."

Damon stared at him as if he hadn't heard correctly. "You're very stupid Stefan," he said heading toward the door. If his brother had been this retarded to Elena, she was going to be upset. "That baby is Elena's. And nothing else matters." He made the short trip to Elena's, his sensitive ears picking up her quite sobs from her room. Normally he would sneak up to her room, but instead he knocked.

"Hey man," Jeremy greeted when he opened the door. "I don't think she's going to want to see you. She just had a massive fight with Stefan. He's really being a jerk about this."

"He's jealous," Damon said heading to the kitchen. He dug around in the freezer, finding the chunky monkey ice cream. "I keep offering to kill him and she keeps telling me no." He couldn't wait for this baby to be born for him to spoil and he was only going to be the uncle. Stefan had the chance to practically slip into the father position and he royally messed it up.

Jeremy chuckled. "Just take care of her," he said. "I know that you'll stick around."

"That I will," he said grabbing a spoon and heading upstairs. He paused outside Elena's door, his heart aching at her tears, but he knocked gently.

"Go away," she muttered from the other side.

"Now you don't think that's going to work on me is it?" Damon said in a teasing tone, offering her a small smile when she did open the door and he handed her the ice cream.

"Thanks," she said sitting on the edge of her bed as she started shoveling the desert into her mouth. "I'm guessing you saw Stefan."

Damon sprawled on her bed, picking up her teddy instantly. "I did," he said carefully. "I wish I could say something to make you feel better about it, but he's just upset that he couldn't give you a normal life. You know his noble streak of whatever."

Elena stared at him disbelief. "This isn't noble," she grumbled. "How can he say he loves me and want me to get rid of my baby? He didn't even ask me what my decision was. He just assumed I wasn't going to keep it. It's wrong for me to bring a baby into this world, a baby that's not his."

He wanted nothing more than to kill his brother right now, but he had to shift his anger. "Did you decide what you wanted to do?" he asked, sitting up next to her.

Elena stared at the half filled carton of ice cream for a long minute before raising her eyes to his. "This baby is mine," she said softly. "It doesn't matter… how it came to be, it's mine. I know it's going to be hard with school and everything, with me being so young, but those things don't seem to matter. All that matters is that my baby is happy and healthy and if Stefan can't accept that he's not going to be the most important person in my life anymore, then too bad." She took one more bite of ice cream before putting the lid back on and crawling up her bed. "I'm tired. The morning sickness has no sense of time, my chest and stomach are killing me."

Damon smiled a little and turned off her light before settling next to her, on top of the covers. "So you're going to keep your baby," he said in wonder. "I hope it's a girl."

Elena stared at him with an odd expression. "I'm a little surprised at how happy you are," she said softly. "I wasn't sure what you're reaction was going to be when I told you I wanted to keep it. Didn't know you were… a kid's kinda guy."

He shrugged. "I didn't know I was either," he said pushing her hair away from her face. She didn't seem to mind his innocent touches, she seemed to almost welcome them. In the past she had always pulled away from his advances and very upfront about her feelings for him, but things had been different since the hospital, and he didn't want to do anything to mess that up. "And it doesn't matter what I think or what Stefan thinks. You need to do what's best for you and your baby."

"I think you're going to be the favorite uncle," she said her eyes falling closed, her head leaning against his arm.

He pressed a tender kiss to her forehead. "That is the plan," he said. "We'll just take this one day at a time."

A small smile appeared on her face as her hand tangled with his.


	2. Chapter 2

Damon found Elena sitting on the couch, a bowl of popcorn in her lap as she watched T.V. But her skin was clammy and she looked pissed off at the world. "Don't you look miserable," he teased, sitting next to her. They had definitely gotten closer since her pregnancy, especially when Stefan left. Damon didn't even know his brother was gone until he has found Elena in crumpled heap of sobs in the living room of the boarding house. He never took Stefan for a coward so he couldn't believe Stefan couldn't grow up and accept Elena's choice to have her baby.

She nearly snarled at him. "I've been sick all day," she growled. "I don't think I can keep feeling like this Damon."

"Don't worry sweetheart," he said. "You're only three months into your pregnancy. It's just part of the process." He took the popcorn from her before turning towards her, gently grabbing her hand. "And you're doing fine," he said. "It's different for everyone and when you finally have your baby it'll be so worth it. You'll forget about these nine months and look forward to the rest of your life."

Elena squeezed his hand. "Do you… want to come with me to my doctor's appointment tomorrow?" she asked softly, almost shyly.

Usually Jenna took her to her appointments, so he was more than surprised to hear her ask him. "I'd love to," he said, moving a piece of hair away from her face. He'd been dying to go with her and see some ultrasound pictures, and see what the doctor was saying about her health. As much as he wanted to be with her 24/7 it wasn't reality. He couldn't force her to take care of herself when he wasn't around.

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled before she hesitantly pressed her lips against his. He was so surprised he couldn't deepen it like he wanted to; just a simple touch of the lips, so soft, so sweet, everything Elena. She bumped her nose against his softly, pulling away all too soon for his liking, but she tucked her head under his chin. "You're amazing," she whispered, snuggling closer against him. He never snuggled, he didn't like to make that emotional commitment to anyone, but Elena was so different. He trusted her enough to let his humanity show through and show her that there was more to him then a killer.

A silly smile curved on Damon's lips as he put his feet up on the coffee table, hugging Elena tightly against him. He spent most nights with her, easing her nightmares, or trying to help her after being sick, and he was always gone before the sun came up, but this was different. They had never crossed the friend line. It had killed him to give her the physical space she had so desperately needed after her ordeal, even after he taken care of the losers who had done this to her, he still hadn't felt better. She jumped at any loud noise, and kept her distance from other men, as well as flinching at almost every physical contact, and he imagined that was another big part of Stefan leaving. He couldn't deal with what happened to Elena and didn't know how to help her emotionally so he ran, leaving Damon to pick up the pieces. It had taken some digging on his part to find the three men who had spiked her drink at the party, and he would never tell Elena what had happened to them. She valued human life, all human life, but he had promised her she was safe now, but her nightmares hadn't stopped.

There was nothing he wanted more than to be a part of her life, and her baby's life, and she seemed more than willing to let him do that. He had big plans for her, things he always wanted to do for her, with her, and it just made him all the more happy to have a baby be a part of that. He allowed his eyes to close as he rested his cheek against her hair, feeling at peace for once in his 150 year existence. He might actually get the family he had always wanted.

TVD***TVD***TVD

Damon's eyes flickered open, hearing movement in the kitchen. He glanced down at Elena curled against his side which brought a small smile to his face. Carefully he slid out of her grasp, easing her back down onto the couch before joining Jenna in the kitchen. He had the decency to look a little ashamed that he had been cuddling with Elena but he cleared his throat as he faced her aunt. "I want to run something by you," he said.

"You're asking permission for something?" she teased. He had managed to control his cockiness enough to get on Jenna's good side, but he didn't want her to think he was taking advantage of her niece. It was true he never asked permission for anything, but he was going to have to change some of his ways if he wanted to win Elena over.

"How you feel about Elena moving in with me?" he asked. "She's going to need more room when the baby comes."

"What does Elena say?" Jenna asked folding her arms.

"I… haven't asked her yet," Damon admitted. "I know how important your opinion is to her, and she had enough things to worry about." If Jenna at least said she didn't mind, it would help Elena think about it clearly. She cared too much about what other people thought of her and her choices, rather than doing what she so desperately needed. He wasn't even sure Elena would say yes. He could be jumping the gun way too soon with her, but if he went about it in the right way it wouldn't be damaging. And if she said no, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

"Damon, Elena is a big girl but she's very lonely right now and I'm too busy to help her properly through this," she said sadly. "But you don't owe her anything. She's… just a teenage girl who had something very bad happen to her and Stefan already left because he couldn't handle it. Don't play her."

His brows creased as he processed what Jenna was saying. "I would do anything for Elena and her baby," he said. "Because I love her. There is no other reason. And I would never do anything to hurt her."

"She might like having her own space," Jenna said thoughtfully.

"My own space?" Elena asked groggily as she came into the kitchen, resting a hand over her stomach that had no signs yet of a baby bump which was good. She was still going to school almost every day, and she still hadn't told everyone. "What are we talking about?" He wasn't pushing her to tell all her friends, he was doing everything he could to be supported.

"You moving into the boarding house, if you wanted," Damon said, softly. "There is a bedroom downstairs with a joining study that can be converted to a nursery. It's just… in case you want a bigger space to settle into… not… you know for me." He didn't want her to think he was going to try to worm into her bed if they were under the same roof.

"Oh," Elena said in surprise, glancing at Jenna. "Um… I'll think about it, okay?" When Jenna made no objections, he could see her muscles instantly relax, which was definitely a good sign.

"Sure," Damon said. "You have time."

"Anything around here that I can eat that won't make me sick?" Elena asked nosing through the cupboards as Jenna left the room with a chuckle.

"I'll make you some soup," he said, already pulling out a pot to boil some water. She needed to settle her stomach and have nourishment. He wasn't an expert on nursing but he was an expert on cooking and she needed drastic changes to her eating habits, especially when she was eating for two now.

"Are you just going to do everything?" she asked in amusement.

"Why shouldn't I?" he shrugged. It was almost instinct for him to take care of her, but he didn't want to smother her. He didn't want to bring up the kiss they had shared on the couch, he didn't want to pressure her, although he could see feel her against him. "Does it bother you?" He couldn't stop the question before it came out of his mouth, and he did not want to hear any rejection from her. Things were going so well with them and he wanted nothing to mess that up.

"No, of course not," she said sitting at the counter. "It's just… weird." That was better than her telling him it had been a mistake. He didn't think he'd be able to handle losing her, especially now. He didn't think he could fall more in love with her, but everyday it seemed to happen. The little things she did, the scrunch of her nose when she was thinking, her fingers twirling in her hair when she was nervous, he loved it all.

"I do stuff for you all the time," he said, turning on the stove. Sure they had their rough patches, some really rough patches, but somehow they always managed to come through as friends. He always protected her and if she ever needed anything he had always been there, so why did she find it weird?"

"It's different now," she said softly. "I'm… having a baby Damon."

"I'm very aware," he said folding his arms as the water boiled. "You really want to talk about this now?" He didn't want to talk about vampires and children. He didn't want her to have any doubts about anything. But she was Elena. She always second guessed herself and everything in her life. He just wanted to be here, no expectations.

"We're going to have to eventually," she mumbled, resting her head in her hand. She sounded ready to burst into tears and that would undo him completely. He could face down demons and werewolves with ease, but he could not stand to see a woman cry. "Otherwise you're just going to start avoiding me like everyone else."

That was the most absurd thing he had ever heard of. He had thought about leaving many times, and had even attempted it a time or two but something always brought him back. He couldn't stay away from her, even if he wanted to and she was barely into her pregnancy and he already felt a deep connection to her baby. "Why do you think I would do that?" he asked with a frown. "Why do you think I would up and leave after all this time?"

"I don't know," she said softly. "A woman with a baby isn't any mans cup of tea Damon. I wouldn't blame you for not sticking around."

Damon moved around the counter and lifted her chin. "Except you aren't just any woman and I'm not just any man," he said, stroking her jaw. "I know Stefan really hurt you by walking away but he's an idiot. I know how special you are Elena and even if you never love me as much as I love you, I would never ever trade this for anything in the world."

"But a baby Damon?" she asked. He could see how badly she was trying to understand, the confusion clouding her face. "You have never ever mentioned kids in anyway. I can't… just be off on some romantic field trip with you. I'm going to have a son or a daughter and they are going to need undivided attention, especially as a baby."

"I know that Elena," he said softly, like he could ever possibly forget that key detail. "We're barely more than friends right now Elena. Why can't we take it one day at a time together? I'm not going to go anywhere, probably not even you ask me to. It… doesn't bother me in anyway that you're having a baby, I think it's wonderful."

"I just…"

Damon kissed her softly, taking a leap of faith that she wouldn't slap him, silencing further arguments. "I love you," he said firmly. He didn't think he would be so upfront with her about his feelings, but she seemed to be having a meltdown about him leaving. She seemed to doubt how serious he was about doing this with her. "And that's all that matters. And I'm going to love your baby. You're just going to have to deal with that."

She released a soft sigh and her hands came to rest on his hips. "Okay," she said lifting her lips for another kiss. This was probably going to be the only argument he ever won in their relationship.

His hand cradled the back of her head as his lips gently tugged on hers. "We can go shopping tomorrow after your doctor's appointment," he said going back to the stove. "Even if you don't move in, I'd like a room at the boarding house, so get used to being spoiled."

Elena giggled. "I will certainly try," she said.

TVD**TVD**TVD

Elena thought she would be nervous having Damon at the doctor's office with her. This was such a huge step for them, to allow him this far into her personal life, but she trusted him, and he wasn't making anything awkward with the situation. They had a few stolen kisses, nothing hot and heavy, which was okay with her. She didn't want to rush anything sexually with him. It had broken her heart when Stefan had left and she briefly thought that having this baby would be a mistake if he was going to leave her, but that thought didn't last very long. She had cried for two hours before Damon found in her, and it hadn't been easy to accept that Stefan had actually left, but she had to focus her attention elsewhere. She would never change her morals for a man, vampire or not. She loved her baby and she was excited to be a mom, even if it was going to be hard. It had surprised her a great deal to see Damon still stick around after his brother left, and he didn't pressure her for anything. He was just here. The night she had come home from the hospital she had horrific nightmares, and when Damon had woken her up, she didn't even bother questioning him for being in her room. She had been so scared, she was just happy to have him hold her.

Even curling up on the bathroom floor because the morning sickness was so bad in the middle of the night, Damon had been there for her. While it would have horrified other girls, he had rubbed her back, ran a cold cloth over her neck, and gotten her anything she needed, and she couldn't complain. Throwing up repeatedly pulled all the muscles in her stomach and chest, and she could barely stand, and he carried her to bed. She was calmer when he was around, while her nightmares never totally stopped, they were becoming easier to deal with and she just got used to having him beside her every night.

When the nurse called her name, she squeezed Damon's hand and led him back to the exam room. She hopped on the exam table like she had many times before as Damon stood next to her head, almost feeling awkward. "I want a boy," she said, glancing up at him.

"Why?" he asked.

With a sigh, she answered. "The curse," she said softly. "I… already don't know what I'm going to tell them about you. They are going to notice when you don't age, and I'm sure someone somewhere is always going to be after the doppelganger. I think I took this life pretty well, I just couldn't imagine… a child you know."

Damon squeezed her hand and kissed her knuckles. "There are plenty of ways to deal with explaining me," he said. "You're baby is going to be a happy healthy child and you can't spend all your time worrying about 'what ifs'. You need to take care of yourself and let everything else come one day at a time. And you know I'll help you every step of the way."

"Hello Ms. Gilbert," her doctor said, coming into the room. "Who's this fine young man?"

"Damon Salvatore," Damon said, extending his hand to shake hers.

The doctor sat on the stool with wheels. "It's just an ultra sound, make sure the baby is a good weight and to send you home with some pictures for the baby book," she said as Elena moved the elastic to her pants and lifted her shirt.

"You have a baby book already?" Damon asked with a chuckle.

Elena smacked him in the abdomen but smiled as she leaned her head against his shoulder. The doctor moved the wand over her belly for a moment and a smile bloomed on her face when she saw the shapes in the grainy picture. "I see the head," she said tugging on Damon's arm in excitement. Despite all her concerns about the whole thing, she was practically glowing. She wanted this, and he would make sure nothing happened to her or her baby. Ever. Even if he couldn't be in her life. If she decided it would be safer for him to not be a part of this, he would step aside. It would break his heart, but he would give her anything she needed.

"It's still too soon to really tell if it's going to be a boy or a girl, but so far, everything looks normal," she said. "You're taking care of yourself I hope. Eating and sleeping enough."

"We're working on it," Elena said, softly. "I'm eating enough but I'm still sick all the time. So the sleeping thing isn't working out so well."

The doctor nodded and wiped the gel off Elena's belly. "That should stop soon," she said. "About another 4 weeks the nausea should disappear as your body moves into the next trimester. You can take some Nyquil at night to help you sleep if it's really bad. Just stay hydrated and eat gentle foods. Seems like you have an amazing boyfriend to take care of you."

"That she does," Damon murmured a dumb happy look on his face.

There was a twinkle in his eye that Elena had only seen on her father's face. She was suddenly very happy she brought Damon to share this with her. She swung her legs over the side of the table, sliding her arms around his waist, lifting her chin to kiss him softly. "You look happy," she said rubbing his back. "Happiest I think I've ever seen you in the time I've known you." She was so open with him, sharing these intimate touches that he treasured, being perfect in everyway.

"Don't think I've ever been this happy," he said, cradling her cheeks. "You have no idea." He slid his arm around her shoulders and they headed to the front desk to pick up the ultrasound photos before he announced he was taking her shopping.


	3. Chapter 3

7 Months

Damon crouched beside a sleeping Elena as she dozed on his couch, a fire roaring behind him. He loved watching her sleep, he always had. She complained often about how big she was and he knew this far into the pregnancy was taking its toll on her. She slept most of the day, or tried to anyways, all her energy going into giving nutrients to her baby. He thought she was beautiful, more beautiful than he ever could have imagined. But her size mattered not to him; it was her precious bundle that she was carrying which often had his attention now. He smiled a little and rested a hand on her swollen stomach, feeling the baby kick his hand in response. "Easy little one," he purred. "Give mommy a break." His thumb stroked over her skin as he tilted his head, listening to the baby's heartbeat thump soothingly. He talked to the baby a lot when Elena was sleeping, his voice keeping the kicks at bay, for a short time.

A second kick to his hand tumbled Elena from her nap, her arms closing over her stomach protectively, covering his hand. "Damon," she murmured her eyes fluttering open. "You're home."

He hated when he had to leave her, but council business called him away from time to time. It was no secret anymore that they were together and he was helping her take care of her baby, and if he wanted to protect them, he had to know what was going on around her. "Didn't mean to wake you," he said softly. "Sorry the meeting took so long."

She smiled and shifted. "She likes you," she said softly rolling onto her back with a groan. "And… I've been thinking…" she let out a deep breath. "I think that I would like to live here, with you. I mean… I really am going to need my own space and I already spend all my time here anyways."

That news overjoyed him and it was all he could do not to scoop her up and spin her around. "That you do, my dear," he said, his hand still rubbing her belly. "And we'll be on the first floor, close to her. If she even rolls over I will know." Jenna had bought Elena some baby books, well more like a lot of baby books, and he peeked at them when Elena wasn't looking. He knew babies had to be fed every two hours and while he didn't need consistent sleep, he didn't want Elena to be over tired. She barely slept as it was, and when the baby was finally born, he wanted to be able to help her get back into a normal routine. As normal as a baby could be. He wanted to be as close to the baby as they could get so he could take care of both of them.

"She's getting so heavy," she said rubbing her ribs as her eyes fell closed again. "I just want to sleep all the time. Takes so much energy these days. Can't see my feet, can't do too much of anything for myself anymore."

"Not like you're sleeping," he pointed out. She was up more than half the night unable to get comfortable. He wished he could do something to make her comfortable, but he couldn't carry this load for her. She was strong enough to pull through, he knew she was.

"She kicks me all night," she said with a pout.

He leaned over to kiss those adorable lips, his arms sliding under her knees and behind her back. "Well let's see what we can do about that," he said scooping her up easily and heading to the new bedroom downstairs they had been sleeping in. The joining study was already set for the baby, Elena and Caroline unable to keep their hands off it. It was painted a light purple, with a bassinet, a changing table, and more clothes then he had ever seen for such a little person. Once Elena had gotten over him buying her things, she had gone nuts, wanting her baby to have everything she would need. Carefully he laid her down on the king sized bed and slipped the flats off her feet and toed his boots off as Elena curled on her side. He sprawled behind her and gently started rubbing her lower spine.

Elena groaned in pleasure, arching into his wonderful hands. "Wow," she said. "I really am sore."

"Just relax," he said his thumbs finding every pulled muscle and every knot, a soft purr vibrating from his chest. It wasn't long before he lulled her to sleep, a small smile on her face. After she passed out his hand worked its way around to her belly, hoping to keep the kicks to a minimum. As far as he knew, he was still going to be Uncle Damon but he didn't care what he was called. Elena was his and so was her baby. They were together, but there wasn't much they could do outside of kissing, which didn't bother him as much as he thought. Not that he would ever pressure her into sex; he just had never gone this long without it, making him realize how much he really had changed for her. He just couldn't wait to show her much he loved her.

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9 Months

Another contraction ripped through Elena as she screamed in pain. "Oh god," she whimpered, squeezing Jenna's hand. Her back felt like it was on fire, her legs couldn't stop trembling, and little fly away hairs were coming lose from her pony tail and sticking to her forehead.

"Don't push yourself Elena," Jenna said, rubbing her sweaty forehead. "All of this is normal and I know it hurts, but you're going to be fine."

"Where's Damon?" Elena asked, unable to keep the tears from sliding down her cheeks. She had read every baby book she had been given, read everything possible about giving birth and she thought she would be prepared. But when she had been visiting Jenna and she felt her water break, she almost had a panic attack. She wasn't ready, and it was two weeks before her due date. But everyone assured her that was okay.

"Caroline's getting him," Jenna said soothingly. "He should be here any second. You know he wouldn't miss this Elena."

"Ms. Gilbert," the doctor said, coming into the room. "I'm going to move you to the delivery room. It's almost time to push."

Elena's eyes widened as she shook her head. "We have to wait for Damon," she said tears sliding out of her eyes. She absolutely could not do this without him. He had to be here. How dare he leave her alone in a time like this?

"The nurses are going to move you while I find Mr. Salvatore," she said. "You're in good hands."

"You're going to be fine," Jenna said kissing her forehead.

Elena took a deep breath and nodded as they wheeled her out of the room. She tried to relax in the brief moments between contractions as she tried to calm down. Some of her rational side was trying to reason with her, telling her it wouldn't do her any good to get worked up. Her new room was a little homier, a much more relaxing feel, no more bright lights beating her in the face. A moment after she was settled in, the door opened and a bright smile appeared on her face. "Hi," she said as Damon came to her side, wrapping his hand around hers.

"How are you feeling?" He asked moving a piece of hair away from her face and kissing her softly.

Elena arched up as another contraction hit and she squeezed his hand tightly. "These are awful," she whimpered. Despite the agonizing pain, she felt a sense of calmness finally washing over her. Damon had talked her through a lot of this before, they had been very open with each other about the birth, and she was already feeling much better now that he was by her side.

Damon kissed her clammy temple. "It'll be over soon sweetheart," he said as the doctor joined them. "You're ready for this. More than ready."

"I think its time," she said, tilting Elena's bed up a little. "Just relax and push when I tell you okay? Your body is strong and healthy Elena so this is going to be easy."

Elena nodded and tried to relax, she really did but another blinding wave of pain rocketed through her. She heard push and tried do as the doctor said before collapsing on the bed for a rest, her fingers squeezing Damon's with unthinkable force. She was very happy he was a vampire and able to take the pressure from her.

Damon kissed her hand. "You're doing good sweetheart," he said. "Remember the classes. You have to breathe." He had been floored when she asked him to start going to the birthing classes with her and of course they all stared at them. He was a hot guy, and a lot of the mom's were single, wishing they had someone half the man he was. There were few other husbands or boyfriends in their class, but he would always be by their side.

"I see the head Elena," the doctor said. "Push for me okay?"

Elena squeezed Damon's hand once more and yanked on his arm involuntarily and screamed as she felt like she being ripped in half, but she leaned against Damon as she pushed again, drawing strength from him. "Oh god," she whimpered. "Damon it hurts."

"One more push," Damon said, rubbing her arm as he kept his eyes on her face. "And we'll have a baby girl. You can do this Elena."

All she wanted to do was lay down, but she could see the anxiousness on his face and she really didn't want to be pregnant anymore. A little bit more and she would have her baby; she just had to find the strength. With a final cry she used the last of her energy to push before falling backwards, panting.

"Mr. Salvatore," the doctor said. "Would you like to cut the chord?"

Elena managed to open her eyes and give him a weak smile. "I'm fine," she whispered releasing his hand and flexing her fingers.

Damon moved around and seconds later the baby's cries rang out in the room as he clipped the umbilical chord between the clamps. The nurses carefully cleaned up the small baby and bundled her as the doctor cleaned up Elena, before the small girl was laid in his arms.

Even though she was tired, she could see the pure joy on Damon's face as he stared at the baby in wonder. She smiled a little at him as he came back over to her and she pushed herself up into a sitting position before Damon passed her daughter to her. "Wow," she said another fresh wave of tears sliding down her face.

Damon sat next to her and kissed her forehead. "I love you," he said.

Elena turned toward him. "I love you too," she said kissing him softly. She had never said the words to him before, even though he often said them to her. But she felt this overwhelming sense of warmth and peace throughout her and she knew she did not want to live her life without him. He was a crucial part of her life and her baby's life and the look on his face when he had held her daughter for the first time would forever be branded on her heart. She would never be able to take that away from him.

"Elena," the doctor said. "Let's get your baby weighed and get you into a clean bed while Damon goes to tell your family. Then you can rest comfortably."

"Okay," Elena said kissing her baby's forehead and Damon once more before they left the room. She was so tired but ridiculously happy, this unconditional love overwhelming her.

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"She's fine," Damon said, collapsing in a chair in the waiting room as he ran a hand through his hair. "They are both fine, just getting cleaned up." He felt a little emotionally drained, their nine month battle leading all up to this. He couldn't wait to hold her, either of them and get them home, under his roof.

"Can we see them?" Caroline asked excitedly. She definitely still drove him crazy, sometimes way to bubbly for his poor brain, but she was Elena's best friend. Bonnie still hadn't really been able to put her full support into his relationship with Elena and he knew it killed her to lose her friend. He even made every attempt to keep his comments to himself about the witch, and not piss her off, but that didn't seem to matter.

"Um… I'm not sure," Damon said honestly as he rubbed his face. "Have to ask the

doctor."

"You okay?" Ric asked. "You look… different."

"She's beautiful Ric," Damon said with a dumb smile. Before Elena had gotten pregnant he had kept up this bad boy image for everyone, never letting his guard down. But everything had changed. He had been accepted into her circle as an equal and he wasn't ashamed of his love for her or the baby. No one seemed surprised at the lengths he had gone through to make sure she was happy and healthy and safe. "You have no idea."

Ric chuckled and smacked Damon the back. "You're going to be a good dad," he said.

"I think we're staying with uncle," Damon said somewhat sadly. He didn't want to think about how he hadn't been able to be the one to give her that precious bundle, the circumstances in which that beautiful baby had come into this world. But it was his burden to bear. He would never be a father, but if Uncle Damon was who he needed to be, he didn't care.

"You can see her now," the doctor said.

"Can we all see her?" Jenna asked a hopeful look on her face. Everyone had been super excited for this moment, all anxious to meet the newest member of the Gilbert family. "For a minute?"

"For a minute," the doctor agreed. "She needs time with her baby and some much needed rest."

Damon followed everyone back to the room, smiling a little as everyone fawned over his girls. He made his way over to Elena kissing the top of her head as everyone took turns holding the baby. Elena's hand tangled with his by her shoulder. His protective instinct was almost overwhelming, wanting to hide both his girls away from the world, but he held it in. He knew no one in this room would hurt either of them, but his demon didn't.

"We do need to know her name," the doctor said with a clipboard in her hand.

"Lily," Elena said softly as a small smile came over her face. "And maybe Damon would like to pick her middle name."

"Elizabeth," he said. His mother had been the only other woman that had been this important to him and it killed him that Elena would never meet her. His mother would have loved her. But it warmed his heart that Elena was going through this extent to include him in her life this way. He didn't think it was possible to fall more in love with this girl, but everyday she surprised him, and allowing him to include his mother in her baby's life, almost made his heart start beating.

"Gilbert?" the doctor questioned.

"No," Elena said firmly. "Salvatore."

Damon couldn't believe what he heard and he almost felt like he was going to pass out. "Elena" he whispered. "What are you doing?" He couldn't he hearing her right.

"You're the only father she's every going to know," Elena said tilting her head back to look at him. Her cheeks started to flush a light shade of pink. "So I think she should have your last name. You know… if you wanted to be her dad."

"You don't have to do this," he said leaning closer to her. He didn't want her to feel like she owed him anything, ever. He wanted this more than anything in the world, but people like him didn't get to be this happy. It would absolutely destroy him to lose either of them.

"I want to," she said cradling his cheek. "I love you and I want to be with you. I want us to raise her. Together. After everything we've been through together, it doesn't seem right that you just be her uncle. You are so much than that Damon. To both of us."

"Okay," he said nodding as he leaned his forehead against hers. Why should he fight her and try to convince her to change her mind, when she had just given him the greatest gift on earth. Lily was going to be their baby. His and Elena's. He could never dream of anything better than that.

"We should go," Jenna said. "Give them some privacy."

Everyone said their goodbyes and Damon filled out his half of the birth certificate as they were finally left alone with their baby.

"You can hold her," Elena said transferring Lily to his arms. "I'm tired."

"You had a long day," Damon said rocking his daughter, struggling to hold in his tears of joy. "You should get some sleep."

"She's going to be hungry in a few hours," she said, her eyes falling closed. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said kissing her forehead as he settled into the cushy chair, Lily cradled close to his chest. She was so small, so fragile, and he felt his heart squeeze almost painfully with love. He never imagined someone other than Elena could capture his heart so easily and he didn't care if she was barely an hour old.

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A/N: Not the last chapter, only the beginning of the next part


	4. Chapter 4

"Damon… where are we going?" Elena giggled as he covered her eyes as he steered her down the sidewalk. Her hands were curled around his wrists, desperately trying to get her bearings as she tried to find out where he was taking her. She'd been blind folded for over an hour, starting back at the boarding house and he refused to tell her what this was all about.

Things had been so great since Lily had been born, both of them settling easily into the roles of parents. There were many a nights when Elena woke up in the middle of the night alone and found Damon in the nursery staring at their sleeping girl. He seemed so happy, so… elated to have something as precious as a daughter and Elena was so glad she could give him that. She never regretted her decision to make him her father, not once. He was the best father anyone could ever ask for.

"We're almost there, kitten," he said turning her slightly, causing her to wobble a little. "Okay, open them."

Her eyes fluttered open as he removed his hand, revealing a two story baby blue house. "Where are we?" she asked glancing at him. The house was two stories, a great front yard and she could see a fenced in back yard behind the house with trees lining both sides.

"Our house," Damon said, holding out a key for her.

"What?" Elena asked in surprise. "You bought us a house?" She had never even thought about moving out of the boarding house. She would have expected a proposal long before a house from him.

"It's safer," he explained. "No uninvited guests. Come on." She had to admit, those were very good reasons. She was so happy to see that Damon had been able to come up with this on his own, because while she was content to stay at the boarding house, this made much more sense for their family.

"Oh my God, Damon," she squealed as he unlocked the door. She headed inside, her eyes taking in everything. She could already imagine where to put furniture and cuddling with Damon in front of the television. She never expected it, but she was overjoyed with it. "This is beautiful." She turned to look at him, where he was still standing in the porch. "What's wrong?"

"You have to invite me in Sweetheart," he said with a chuckle. "I took no chances."

"Come in Mr. Salvatore," she said with a smile as he joined in the living room. There were large windows, a fire place, and plenty of room for furniture. "This is amazing. When can we move in?"

"Whenever you want," he said, sliding an arm around her shoulders.

Elena's arms snaked around his neck as she kissed him passionately. "I love you so much," she whispered. She swallowed passed the lump in her throat, not wanting to cry over such a wonderful moment. He had done so much for her since she had gotten pregnant. He helped her finish school, move into the boarding house, go through the entire pregnancy with her, and taking such excellent care of Lily. She couldn't ask for anyone better. Everyday he did something to surprise her. And when Lily got a little bit older she was positive she could go to college and her daughter would be taken care of.

"I love you too," he said, cradling her cheek. "Come on, let's tour."

Upstairs was the master bedroom with what Elena planned on the baby's room right next door. There was a bathroom upstairs and downstairs, and two guest rooms. "I always thought we'd stay at the boarding house," she said honestly. "I honestly never expected this Damon. You've already done… so, so much for us."

"You're my family Elena. I would do anything for you, you know that," Damon said. "I just… wanted us to have somewhere safer. Katherine and Stefan both have full access to pretty much everywhere. And… if he finds out, I'm sure he'll do something stupid."

Elena shrugged. "He's the one that left," she muttered. "I have a new life and if he ever comes back he'll have to get over it." She used to think about what would happen if Stefan came home. At first, she thought she'd be happy, but now she just couldn't seem to care. Her feelings for Stefan had drastically changed since she had gone through her pregnancy and when she finally fallen head over heals in love with Damon, she didn't think about Stefan anymore. She knew Damon would protect them, even from his own brother.

"I'll make the arrangements with the moving company while you go squeal to the girls," he said as they headed back outside and locked up.

"I'll meet you at the Grille," she said, kissing him once more.

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Elena couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she joined Caroline at the restaurant. "It's so amazing Caroline," she said happily, her cheeks starting to hurt from how happy she was. "I mean… I didn't mind being at the boarding house, but this so much more kid friendly. Lily is going to love growing up there." The mental list of things she wanted to do was growing by the minute, and she couldn't wait to get started.

Caroline giggled with her. "I can't wait to see it," she said as the waitress brought them some sodas. "That was really sweet of Damon and… I can't believe he didn't do it sooner." Elena was so happy that Caroline had been able to get passed her differences with Damon and while the two of them still made fun of each other, it was all in good humor now. Caroline had turned into such a good aunt.

Elena looked up, seeing Bonnie standing by them. "Hey," she said offering her a smile.

"How's the baby?" Bonnie asked with a tight smile.

"Good. She's with Ric and Jenna," she said before biting her lip, not sure if she should tell Bonnie about the newest development. But she was bound to hear about it around town, might as well be honest. "Damon bought us a house."

"Why?" Bonnie asked with a raised eyebrow. "He seems to buy you an awful lot of things."

She didn't miss the accusatory tone that Bonnie had, like Damon was trying to buy her affections, which was not the case. She loved Damon with all her heart, even if they lived in a box on the side of the road, that wouldn't matter. "He wanted a fresh place with no invites," Elena said calmly. "I think that's a valid reason to buy a new place."

"How long are you going to play this fairy tale Elena?" Bonnie asked, folding her arms. "You think Lily isn't going to notice when Damon doesn't grow old with you? How are you going to keep him in your life when you get old and grey and he stays a jackass?"

"Bonnie!" Caroline said in horror.

"Well seriously?" Bonnie asked. "What kind of life is she going to have with a vampire father? Whose vampire brother could come back into town at any time and come after you."

Elena got to her feet, very thankful the Grille was mostly empty. "A very good one," she said. "Damon is wonderful with her and we will decide how to handle it. He is the best father anyone could ever ask for. And he would never let anyone hurt her." She rubbed her face and headed outside, shrugging Bonnie's hand off her arm as the witch followed her.

"I'm sorry Elena, I just don't want to see you or Lily get hurt," she said.

"Damon would never hurt either of us," Elena said adamantly. "And you know that. You know he would put his life on the line before he let anyone hurt us, even against Stefan. Even you have to know that Bonnie. He's always protected me, he's always stuck by me, trusted me. Always."

"Is it the money then?" Bonnie asked in confusion. "Why are you getting yourself into this when you know it's going to be a disaster? You know you're going to get your heart broken and so is Lily."

"Because I love him Bonnie," Elena said. "Why can't you accept that? I. Love. Him. And if this is what you're going to be like all the time, you can just stay away from us. Lily doesn't need to hear you talking like this about her dad."

"But he's not her dad Elena," Bonnie said in frustration. "He's a killer. Are you ever going to tell her the truth about how she came into this world, about what happen to you?"

Tears stung her eyes as those horrible memories flashed through her mind. "Everything okay?" Damon asked from behind her.

"Fine," she said snuggling into his side pressing her face to his shoulder. "I'm ready to go home now." It had taken her so long to even accept what had happen to her, months to allow Damon to touch her, innocently, without her flinching or seeing another mans face. And even though she was no longer pregnant, they still hadn't slept together. Damon hadn't pushed her, never once, always allowing her to have all the control, which she knew was different for him. They definitely made out a lot, and his hands had definitely done some exploring but the second he heard her heart skip a beat, or her pulse quicken, he had always backed off, never once making a big deal out of it. But so easily Bonnie could easily rock such a fragile situation, one that she really didn't know how to talk to anyone about. Not even Damon.

Damon clenched his jaw but guided her back to the car. "Want to talk about it?"

"How much did you hear?" she asked staring out the window. She hated being weak, hated having to rely on him to take care of her and help her through this. But when Damon was in trouble, she trusted him to come to her with anything on his mind, and she really did try to give him the same in return. She always tried to help him through his pain, knowing how hard it was for him to express his emotions to her after what happened with Katherine, but knowing at that, she still had trouble talking about what happened at the party.

"Just the part about the money," he said with a shrug. "I don't really care what she thinks. But I know she's your friend. And… I can see how upset you are over what she said."

"She's just making it out to be that I haven't thought about all these things that are hanging over our head," she said, rubbing her head. "Like I could forget that you're a vampire, or that I was raped by three men that I never even met. She thinks we live in some perfect little world and we have everything we want and that's not true. There's constant danger, and we're always worrying about if Lily is safe or not. It's not like we're on a romantic getaway, totally oblivious to reality. I don't need her judgmental issues on top of everything else." She sighed as her phone vibrated. "Jenna and Ric are on their way home from the park. They said they would meet us."

Damon was silent the whole way back to Jenna's house, which worried Elena a bit. She could see the wheels turning in his head and the tense muscle of his jaw. He parked by the curb as they headed inside, and while he usually always touched her some way, either holding her hand, or his hand on her back, he kept his hand stuffed in his pockets. "You're awfully quiet," she said carefully. "You said you didn't care what she thinks."

"She can't be the only one wondering what we're going to tell her about me," Damon said softly. "People are going to notice Elena that you're a human and getting older and that I'm not."

"They truth I guess," Elena said with a shrug. She thought about this topic a lot, especially when Lily was finally born and they became a family. She had learned her lesson many times over, that keeping vampires a secret was too hard, and it always backfired on her. It was better to just be open about it, and let everyone process the reality rather then lying and having them find out later, or having something horrible happen. Lily deserved to know the truth and she would be okay with it. Elena just knew she would. "There's no reason to lie."

"There's a reason vampires don't have children or families," he said sadly. "We out live them."

It would absolutely kill him to lose either of them, to watch them either get hurt in someway, or waste away and die from old age. It broke her heart to even think about Damon being without her, she could never imagine them being apart. Ever. And they didn't have too many options. "Don't think like that," she said taking a step toward him, but he backed away from her. "Damon…"

"I'm going to go for a walk," he said. "I'll meet you at home."

She could feel the tears stinging her eyes but she nodded, not wanting to push him. He just needed to think about things, and so did she and they could talk about. It had taken her a long time to trust him enough to be so open and honest with him, but they told each other everything now. "Okay," she said, as he headed toward the door. "I love you."

He paused briefly to glance at her. "I love you too," he said and he was gone.

Elena slid into a char in the living room and struggled not to cry. She couldn't survive if Damon left her, if he ran away because he couldn't stand the thought of them being human. She almost felt a little selfish for being a little angry. He knew she was human and knew her daughter would be human. Why put her through all this if he couldn't handle it? Why buy them a house to start their life together just to rip it away from her? The door opened a few minutes later and she jumped up, thinking it was Damon, but it was Jenna. "Hey, where's Lily?"

"On the porch with Damon and Ric," she said, putting her bag down in the hall. "What's wrong?"

She couldn't stop the tears from sliding down her cheeks. "I had a fight with Bonnie about how… she thinks this isn't what Lily needs. Because Damon's a vampire," she whimpered. "And I think he's going to leave me so he doesn't get anymore attached to us and then have to out live us."

Jenna wrapped her arms around Elena. "You and Damon need to do what you think is best for Lily," she said. "No one cares what you are or what Damon is. And you've both had to have thought about this ever since he became such a big part of your life. You knew you were going to have to talk to him about it eventually."

"He loves us so much," she said sadly. "He can't be without us."

"It's not a question of love," Jenna said pulling back. "We know you love each other. You cannot make any decisions about your life or your daughter's life because of Bonnie. You're just going to have to talk to him. I personally don't think Damon could leave you. He does love you Elena, and he loves that little girl, more than anything. Just trust your heart."

Elena wiped her cheeks as the front door opened once more and Ric joined them with Damon and Lily in tow. "Hey guys," she said softly, her heart leaping seeing that Damon didn't actually leave. He probably got to the porch and saw his daughter, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Let me just change her diaper," Jenna said carefully taking the baby from Damon's arms. "We'll be back." She dragged Ric upstairs with her, leaving the two of them alone.

Elena stared at Damon how looked like she felt but she still wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her nose to his shoulder, relaxing as his arms banded around her waist. She clenched her eyes shut not wanting to burst into tears like a baby, but she wanted to be strong enough for them both for once. He needed her reassurance about how much she wanted and needed this. They both knew what they were getting into by falling in love. She had fought her feelings for so long, knowing what it entailed to be with a vampire, but she had gotten over it.

"I shouldn't have left like that," he whispered, his arms tightening around her. "I'm sorry." His face pressed against her shoulder, inhaling her scent softly.

"I know," she said, stroking his hair as she pulled back to meet his gaze. "We're going to tell Lily the truth when she is old enough and asking questions. I don't care what anyone says or thinks Damon. We'll make it work somehow, I promise. I can't imagine my life with you and you know that we both need you."

"And what solution do you see for this?" he asked, sadly. "Unless you both turn into vampires in the future?"

Elena mulled those words over in her head for a few moments. "I can't say that I would… want her to turn," she said softly, trying to choose her words carefully. "She would have to make that choice for herself. But it's a possibility for me." When she and Stefan had gotten serious, really serious, she had thought about the possibility of her turning, but she never ever discussed it with Stefan. It hadn't been something that she wanted before, it wasn't necessary. She didn't know what she had expected to happen, but she had intended on staying a human girl, but the circumstances were so different now.

Damon stared at her in surprise. "I wasn't really being serious," he said, shaking his head. "I'm… not saying that I haven't thought about it, but I would never… ask you to do that for me Elena. You have already given me more than I could ever ask for and while it would kill me to lose you, it would kill me even more for you to turn and regret it after the fact. It's… even with me by your side, it's not an easy life to live. I would never wish it on anyone, not even to keep you for the rest of eternity."

"But I am serious," she said stroking his cheek. "I've thought about this a lot Damon and nothing is set in stone, and we have a lot of time to talk about it and come up with a plan. A plan for us. For our family, with no one else's influence. I'm not about to let you leave me for my own good. I'm just not. I just found you and you make me so happy and I'm not going to lose you."

He leaned his forehead against hers, his thumb brushing over her lower lip as it wobbled. "You're in no danger of that. I would never ever walk away from you Elena," he said smiling a little. "Come on, let's go home. We can move into our new house tomorrow."

"New house?" Jenna asked, coming down the stairs with a fussing Lily. "She's ready for bed I think."

"Damon bought us a new house," she said a smile coming to her face once more. "I can't wait for you to see it." She gently took Lily to buckle her into the car seat. "We're going to start moving in tomorrow." She zipped up the diaper bag and slung it over her shoulder, feeling all the tension from the last twenty minutes slip away. A new house was the exact thing to lift both their spirits.

"Need help?" Jenna asked as Ric wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Sure," Damon said, picking up Lily's seat. "Hard to lift furniture, even for me."

"Funny," Elena said as they said their goodbyes and headed back o the boarding house. The ride was quiet, but not filled with tension like before, their hands clasped together over the center console. Elena took Lily upstairs to feed her and get her down for some sleep while Damon locked up the house. Not that it would keep the vampires out, but any little bit helped.

He found Elena standing by the window, rocking Lily as she hummed softly. He slid his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder as Lily finished the bottle. "Want me to put her down?"

"Sure," Elena said, kissing him softly as she transferred their daughter to him. "I'm going to get ready for bed."

Damon disappeared into the nursery, his worries from earlier disappearing as Lily squeezed his finger. Gently he laid his two month old in her bassinette, and turned on the mobile and baby monitor. "Daddy loves you," he murmured as her eyes fell closed and covered her with the blanket Jenna had given them. He stared at her for a few moments before heading back to the bedroom, pausing seeing Elena a sexy blood red bra and matching panties. "Wow."

"You like?" Elena asked approaching him with a smirk. It had been forever since she had been touched like this, and if she was honest with herself she had been wound up for some time now. Damon brought out this fire in her that she didn't know what to do with, and she was tired of fighting it. They needed to take their relationship to the next step, and there was no reason to wait anymore.

"What's this about?' he asked, pulling her close to him, his hands gliding over her smooth skin.

"Caroline got it for me," she said. "I was just… you know too fat to wear it before."

His eyes darkened as he pressed a kissed to her bare shoulder. "You were pregnant," he chastised. Even as he tried to play the noble card, his fingers were already brushing against the waistband of her panties, setting her skin ablaze. "There's a difference. You know… you don't owe me anything Elena."

She raised an eyebrow. "I know," she said. "But I love you. And we've… been together for like… long enough now. Why shouldn't we?" She couldn't believe that Damon Salvatore, the sex god, was trying to convince her they shouldn't have sex. They were made for each other and it was silly to keep fighting their feelings for each other. The sexual tension between them was ridiculous, and it was sometimes physically painful to keep their hands in appropriate places. She didn't think she had been ready, but she was stupid. She had been more than ready.

"I'm not complaining," he said kissing her gently.

Her arms came around his neck as she rubbed against him, loving the contrast between his jeans and the softness of her skin. She helped him push his shirt over her head as she found herself pleasantly pinned to the mattress, his hard body cradled between her hips.

"You sure Elena?" he asked, even as his hands roamed over her body.

"The best and worst things have already happened to in my life Damon," she said. "And you were there for both of them. Girls would die to have someone as amazing as you." Katherine had been such a fool to give him up; he could have given her anything she wanted. But Elena supposed she had to be grateful to her ancestor, because Damon was hers now, and she was never letting go.

"You're pretty amazing too," he said, his lips covering hers once more.

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A/N: Woot another update hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. I only have about one more written, but I think I'm going to come up with 2-3 more. So don't go anywhere!


	5. Chapter 5

Damon glanced around the bedroom, his eyes taking in all the work he had done to surprise Elena. He didn't usually go through such lengths to seduce a woman, but it was a special occasion. He was happy with his work as he left the bedroom, intent on going to pick up his girlfriend. A curse word left his mouth as he tripped over some toys in the hallway. "Lily," he sighed, scooping up the toys to put them away. His daughter was three years old now, looking more and more like Elena every day.

Once he had picked up the few treacherous toys from the hall way he finally made it downstairs to the car. Just as he was pulling away, his phone was going off, from Caroline. "Hey Blondie," he said affectionately. He and Caroline had gotten much closer since Lily was born, the vampire fawned over Lily. The fact that he had turned the blond girl, made their connection a lot stronger, and he had ignored it, mostly because Caroline used to annoy the hell out of him. But she had been one of Lily's primary babysitters and he had sucked up his pride and peace with her and it even seemed to him that she welcomed it. She didn't have other vampires that she could really talk to, and she was still a young one. "How's my Princess?"

Then he noticed Caroline was bawling. "I'm at the hospital," she said tearfully. "With Elena and Lily."

"What happened?" he demanded as he started speeding in the direction of his girls.

"Lily fell and broke her arm," Caroline said. "I promise I only turned my head for a second."

"I'm on my way," he said hanging up. His knuckles turned white on the steering wheel as he deftly moved through the streets of Mystic Falls. He carelessly parked his car outside the waiting room and ran inside, finding Elena easily. "Hey sweetheart," he said as she ran to his arms.

"She's fine," Elena said. "She's in surgery, but she's going to be fine."

"What happened?" he asked once again, his hands rubbing along her spine. She fit so perfectly against him, her soft curves against the hard planes of his body. He noticed Caroline in one of the chairs in the waiting room, avoiding his gaze. He knew it wasn't her fault, but right now their only concern was Lily.

"She fell off the jungle gym at the park," Elena said sniffling.

Damon could feel his limbs trembling as he allowed Elena to lead him to the couch in the waiting room. "How long until she's done?" he whispered. He clenched one of his hands into a tight fist, trying to force himself to calm down. He had more control than this. Usually. He tended to over react over everything where Lily was concerned. When she first learned to crawl and then to walk, she had fallen and bumped into so many things he was convinced she could never get hurt. Their house was baby proofed sure, but sometimes she was sneaky, just like her mom.

"They couldn't tell me," she said, shaking her head as her fingers curled around his. "But it's a simple fracture, easy fix. She should be fine in a few weeks."

Damon wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he took a deep breath. "I'll stay with her," he said. "No reason for you to take time off of work." He tried to explain to Elena that they didn't need money, but she insisted on doing something with herself. She stayed home with Lily the whole first year she was born, the three of them wanting to spend some serious quality family time together. But when Elena had wanted a part time job at a law firm in town, Damon didn't try to argue with her. It kept her busy, even though she was only a secretary.

"It was an accident Damon," Elena said, stroking his arm. "It wasn't Caroline's fault."

"Did I say it was?" he asked clenching his jaw. His protective streak over Lily almost scared him sometimes. Once he had fallen in love with Elena, he had vowed to never let anything happen to her, and when she had gotten hurt, for the longest time he felt like he had broken that promise. He never wanted to see anything happen to Lily, for any reason, and he knew he drove Elena nuts sometimes with his hovering.

"You're thinking it," Elena mumbled, running a hand through her hair. "Kids get hurt all the time. She's tough."

Damon stared at the tiles on the ceiling for a long moment as Elena leaned her head against his shoulder. "It's not like she fell off her bike and scraped her knee Elena," he said. It was an accident, he got it. But it was a pretty serious injury for a three year old. They had a swing set in the back yard and she had bumped her elbows quite a few times and he always kissed them and made them disappear. She didn't understand the vampire part of him, she just knew that daddy kissed her boo boo's and they were all better. He really could give her some vampire blood and she'd be fine, but he didn't want to raise any suspicious eyebrows around his daughter. "She's in the hospital, having surgery. She's only three."

"She's going to be fine," Elena said lifting her head. "Okay, look at me." She gently cupped his jaw, stroking his cheek bone. "She's going to come out of surgery, we'll take her home and she will be fine. And you can coddle her for the next six weeks all you want."

He exhaled through his nose and kissed her forehead. "I just worry," he said. They had gone through such extreme measures to keep their daughter safe, and he felt silly that something as ridiculous as the park would get him this worked up. He didn't want to see anything happen to his girls. He imagined he looked like a goof right now and forced his worries aside. He trusted Elena; she kept him grounded, just like he did with her. Everyday was a learning experience for them both, with each other and as parents.

"I know you wanted… to have some alone time tonight," Elena said softly. "But we can just do it another night."

He had totally forgotten their plans for a romantic evening together, his brain only focused on his little girl. They always made time for each other, their love stronger than ever, but he had wanted the house to themselves tonight, but it wouldn't bother either of them to change their alone time to a different night. He was about to make a comment when he saw a doctor heading toward them, instantly getting them both to their feet. "How is she?"

"She's fine," the doctor said nodding. "She's tired, but she's fine. She's going to have to leave her arm in a sling for about 4 weeks. But she's awake and she can go home."

"Oh thank god," Elena said. "Thank you doctor."

He led them back to the recovery room, where Lily was dozing in the hospital bed, with a bright pink cast on her left arm. Damon and Elena went to her side, both kissing her forehead. "Hi Angel," Damon said, as she cracked her eyes open. His heart clenched painfully as it often did when a tender moment happen, but it didn't bother him.

"Hi Daddy," she mumbled sleepily. "Hi mommy. Am I all better?"

"You get to wear this awesome cast for a little bit until your arm gets better," Damon said, rubbing her arm. "And all the other kids will be jealous they don't have one."

"You ready to go home?" Elena asked running her hand over Lily's forehead.

"Yeah," Lily said excitedly. "I got a lollipop and a teddy!" Damon chuckled in response as they got ready to leave. She was just a happy little girl, barely cried, and barely fussed. Just wanted everyone's attention. It was impossible not to smile when you were around her.

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Lily was sound asleep by the time they arrived home and Damon carried her inside. Elena followed him upstairs to Lily's room, and peeled back her Winnie the Pooh comforter so Damon could tuck her in. "She'll probably sleep all night," Elena whispered, tucking a large pillow next to her injured arm.

"Good," he whispered, turning on the nightlight next to her bed before reluctantly leaving the bedroom. Most nights Lily ended up crawling into her bed, either from bad dreams, or being afraid of the dark or not feeling well. Especially if there was a thunderstorm, Lily always came into their room. When she had been too little and in her crib, she would stand up and cry; the thunder too loud for her to sleep peacefully. She got that from her mother. Elena didn't really like thunderstorms either. She never told him, but the few nights he had spent watching her before she got pregnant, she would toss and turn restlessly if it was thundering, and that habit hadn't changed much over the years. Elena promised him it was normal; she had slept in her parent's bed many nights too. It was just part of being a little girl.

Elena rubbed his arm a little before heading to their room, freezing in the doorway. "Damon," she whispered in awe. There were pink and red rose petals all over the floor, a bottle of chilled champagne and two glasses next to the bed.

"Wow I forgot I had done this," he mumbled kissing the top of her head. He had meant to clean it up or warn her ahead of time, but the look on her face was enough for him.

"This is beautiful," Elena whispered. "I can't believe you… did all this."

"I wanted it to be special," he said shrugging.

She squeezed his waist lovingly before carefully walking around to the champagne, trying not to disturb the rose petals, which he found silly. Had their original plans played out, the petals would have all been ruined in throws of passion. "We can still enjoy it."

For a moment, Damon just watched her, his heart warming at the sight of her. She was perfect in everyway, and he decided there was no use waiting. "This is such bad timing," he said making his way over to her. "I obviously wanted this night to be perfect, and it seems… wrong to celebrate when Lily got hurt, but I don't want to wait anymore." He gently grasped his hand in hers. "You know how much I love you right?"

"I love you too," she said, squeezing his hand gently, and then her heart skipped a beat as he knelt down on one knee. "Damon…"

"You're the best thing that's ever happen to me Elena, and you've given me something I never thought I could have," he said, softly. "And I fall in love with you more and more everyday and I could never imagine my life without you." Damon Salvatore didn't do nervous, but he felt like a nerdy teenager on his first date. He pulled a small velvet box from his pocket, flipping it open to reveal a beautiful diamond ring. "Will you marry me?"

Tears stung her eyes as she struggled to form words. "I love you so much Damon," she whispered. "There is nothing I want more then to be your wife."

He slid the ring onto her left ring finger, rising up to kiss her properly. He gently lifted her to the middle of the bed, his lips devouring hers. One of his knees pressed intimately between her thighs as his nose bumped against hers. "Elena…"

Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to breathe, her hands dancing over his back. "I actually… had something of my own I wanted to ask you," she whispered, licking her lips. "And… I want you to really think about it, and not just…say no for my own good. I'm… almost the same age as you and I think that you should turn me when Lily is a little bit older."

Damon lifted himself up onto his arms and stared down at her in shock. "You… what?" He couldn't' have heard right. They had briefly talked about it before, briefly as in she said it was maybe a possibility, but that had been it. She never asked him to turn her, they had never decided on a time to do it or anything.

She almost smiled, but she didn't want to make a joke out of it. "I want to be with you, always Damon," she said cupping his cheek. "Lily would be much safer if we were both vampires and when she's a little bit older, she can stay with Jenna and Ric for a little bit while I make the transformation."

"I just… can't believe you're asking me this," he said shaking his head. "I never… never imagined you would really want this." He didn't know how they were going to deal with the barrier between them, him being a vampire, and her being a human. But he had just decided he would always stay with them, no matter what. Once they had both grown old and passed, he would have as well. He couldn't live without either of them, and now Elena was offering to give him the last thing he had always wanted, and that was her, forever.

"No one has ever made me feel the way that you do," she said. "And we have a beautiful life together, its something I've always dreamed of. And I know it would be… quite the change but it would be so worth it. We could get through anything together Damon. I mean, it would be hard, losing Lily, but she's going to have a good life. The thought of losing you, because I got old, just rips me apart inside and I just… can't do that to you. I love you so much."

"I love you too Elena," he said, feeling a tear slid down his cheek. "I just… this is everything I have ever wanted." His hand ran down her ribs to rest on her hips. "Think Lily will be sleep all night, in her own bed?"

Elena smiled and wrapped a leg around his hip. "Doctor gave her some good medicine, so I think we'll have the night to ourselves," she said, her fingers undoing the buttons to his shirt. "Did you have something in mind?"

"You have no idea," he said, his lips descending to hers.

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A/N: I think only a chapter or two more Hope you guys are enjoying it so far, no disappointments.


	6. Chapter 6

Elena smoothed her hand down the front of her dress, trying to calm her racing heart. They had been engaged for a little over a year, and their big day was finally here. She couldn't believe they were finally going to get married. Her dress was strapless, with beading all over the bust and flared a little at the waist. The ceremony was outside, so she didn't want to be hot with a huge ball gown on. Carol had been lovely enough to insist that the wedding take place at the Lockwood mansion, and Elena didn't mind, but she wanted the ceremony to be kept personal, invites only. Dress shopping had taken about six months; nothing had caught her eye until Caroline had taken her to the city. As soon as she had tried this dress on, she had fallen in love with it. It felt even more amazing when she was wearing it today. Keeping it hidden from Damon had been a challenge, but he had promised he hadn't peaked.

Her hair was piled into a fancy set of curls and clips on top of her head, a sparkling head band over top. Her mother's earrings dangled from her ears, and Damon's necklace around her neck. A sapphire bracelet was fastened around her wrist, and she picked up her white bouquet of roses. She was more than ready to be married. Every girl dreamed of their wedding sure, but she never would have imagined it would be this amazing. She smiled as there was a knock on the door, Ric's voice asking her if she was ready.

With a deep breath, she opened the door, a huge glowing smile on her face. "I'm more than ready," she said, tucking her hand around his arm. Her heart was pounding like a jackhammer, and she wanted to practically run outside to Damon, but she refrained.

"You look beautiful," Ric said as he escorted her out back. There were white benches on either side of the aisle way, covered in white roses.

Once they rounded the corner to the beginning of the walk, and the bridal music started to play, her cheeks started to hurt from smiling. At the end of her destination, Damon was standing at the altar, Jeremy by his left and Caroline a little to his right, her number one bride's maid, with Jenna next to her, wearing lavender colored dresses. Damon looked pristine in his tux, his blue eyes sparkling, a devilish smile on his face, and Elena almost felt weak in the knees.

She finally made it to the altar and Ric kissed her cheek before also taking his place beside Damon as she and Damon joined hands. She squeezed them tightly as she handed Caroline her flowers, facing her fiancé, blinking her tears of joy away. She glanced at the front row where their daughter sat, swinging her legs as she sat on the bench, a cute smile on her face. Damon's thumbs ran over her knuckles and her heart clenched in anticipation as it came time for them to recite their vows, which they had written themselves.

Elena took a deep breath as she stared up at him. "I love you so much Damon," she said, forcing the lump away in her throat. She did not want to be one of those brides that cried during her wedding, ruining her makeup, but she wasn't sure how long she could hold out. "You have been my best friend, my partner, for so long and I don't know where I would be without you. You've always stuck by me, trusted me, and loved me, given me everything a girl could want out of life. You've helped me through some of the darkest times in my life, always helping me pull through it.

"You're so amazing, so loving, and caring. And you're a wonderful dad, you're everything to us. I could never dream of anyone better. I will respect you and trust you from this day forward and I promise I will love you for the rest of our lives, no matter what." Her voice caught a little at the end, but she managed to keep tears from filling her eyes as her fingers tightened around his. She didn't like speaking in public, but it might as well have just been her and Damon in the whole world.

If it was possible, the smile on Damon's face got bigger as it was his turn. "I never thought I would ever love anyone as much as I love you Elena," he said. "You've shown me that there is more to life then darkness, and you have also helped me get through some of the worst things in my life. And you have given me the best thing in my life and that's a family. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I will spend the rest of my life loving you, with everything I have. You're perfect in everyway, and I could never ask for anyone better."

He paused to collect his thoughts, their hands nearly turning white with the force of their grip on each other. "You make me want to be better, I am better with you in my life," he said softly. "I certainly never imagined that I would ever deserve someone like you, but I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. Having a family, is everything to me, and I will never stop loving you." And he slid the diamond ring on her finger, before kissing the back of her hand, like he did the first time they met.

She tried to hold it in, she really did, but the tears just started flowing. They left tracks down her cheeks but she didn't stop smiling. Finally, they were allowed to seal their fate with a kiss, and Elena was more than happy to have his arms wrap around her, calming her trembling body. She almost jumped as there was clapping around them and she remembered they actually had an audience. She turned toward them to smile as Damon slid his hand back into hers to lead her down the aisle to get ready for the reception.

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Elena stared at herself in the mirror for what felt like hours, her suitcase open on her bed behind her. It was finally time for the biggest change in her life. Lily was ten years old now and for the last six months they had been talking to her about mommy and daddy going away for a little bit. She nearly jumped out of her skin when there was a knock on the door but she smiled at Caroline. "I'm almost ready," she said, twisting her wedding band around her finger.

"Don't be nervous," Caroline said. "At least you won't be 18 forever. And you have the best husband to help you through this."

About a year after their wedding, Elena had started to seriously consider Damon turning her. When she told him she was serious, he seemed in shock almost, like he really had expected her to stay a human and die on him. After they had exchanged vows, their life and really rocked her to her fore. They were on their honey moon for two weeks, in which she promised herself she was going to be with him, forever. But she kept it to herself for a long time, waiting for the right time. They would talk about it over and over, Damon explained a lot of things for her, make sure she understood exactly what she was getting into, and the biggest obstacle they faced was leaving Lily.

It broke her heart to think about leaving their daughter for such a long period of time; they could be gone for six months or longer. But Lily had her own room at Jenna and Ric's so she was comfortable there, which is why they wanted to wait until she was older, and could really understand them leaving for a little bit. They had never been away from Lily other than their honey moon, and she knew it would be hard on all three of them. But she had to do this. It would all work out, she just knew it.

"I just… I know Damon's going to take care of me," she said, collapsing on the end of her bed. "And I know that I want this, I want to be with him, really with him Caroline. I just… it's a big change." Her life had been nothing but change and learning since she had gotten pregnant. She was a much stronger woman that she had ever been before, which surprised her. She always held herself together, keeping up a strong front for everyone, but having Lily taught her new things every day, and now Damon was going to teach her a brand new way of life.

"If anyone can do it, you can," Caroline said, zipping up her suitcase. "You're a strong woman Elena, and I bet, that you will be home sooner than you think. You're both going to want to come home to Lily, so you're going to be in control so quick. And you would never, ever hurt your own daughter. It's just… a mother's instinct to protect and that is always going to outweigh the blood thirst."

"Damon told me that too," Elena said nodding as she got to her feet. He had never experienced a mother turned vampire and how they handle their children, but he had faith in her, in them. "I think it will be the hardest on him to be away from her." Lily was such a daddy's girl, it wasn't even funny. Elena had to laugh at how easily their 10 year old had gotten him wrapped around her finger. "This just… it feels right Caroline."

Her friend smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as they headed downstairs, Elena's suitcase behind them. The front door was open as Damon finished loading things into the car, Lily already buckled in the back seat for them to drop off at Jenna and Ric's. "You're going to be fine," she said hugging Elena. "Call me if you need anything, even just to talk."

Elena hugged her tightly. "Thanks Caroline," she said as Damon put her suitcase in the trunk along side of his before shutting it. "I'm ready."

Damon grinned and kissed her before they got into the car, waving goodbye to Caroline as they pulled away. "Are you nervous?" he asked, their hands tangling over the center console.

"A little," she admitted. She and Damon had come leaps and bounds from where they were 10 years ago. She was so open with him; always honest with her feelings, especially if something was bothering her. Damon never pushed her, never tried to sugar coat anything, always let her feel whatever she wanted and helped her through it. Even if she was angry at him, and she had been many times over the years, they had always worked through it. The vampire thing had caused a few fights; Damon unable to stand the thought of taking her life. He kept trying to tell her that she didn't have to make this change, not for him, and one time, she had went to far and in the heat of the moment and told him Stefan would have changed her.

That had been their worst fight; Damon had stormed out of the house, leaving Lily and Elena in tears. She had been torn between going to look for him, and staying to take care of Lily, and Lily had won. They had curled up in her bed she shared with Damon, hoping he would return that night, but he never did. He had gone to the Grille with Ric, drinking himself into such a stupor, even for a vampire, that he had crashed on Jenna's couch. When she had woken up the next morning, alone for the first time since they had gotten married, she felt like her heart had been ripped out and smashed to a million pieces. She never felt so awful in her life, and she had called Ric, who had a few harsh truths for her.

Ric had driven Damon back home, and she didn't think vampires could ever be hung over, but it sure looked like Damon was. Lily had run from her room hearing him come home, crying her eyes out as she begged him to never leave them again. Lily had only been 8 at the time, but she had a few classmates going through a divorce, and she didn't want to lose her dad. Elena nearly threw up in the hallway when she heard Lily's pleas to Damon, unable to think of him ever leaving them, but he had wrapped his arms around Lily and promised her he wasn't leaving her, or Mommy.

They had talked for hours after that, Ric taking Lily home with him to give them some privacy. Elena swore up and down that she did not mean what she said. She had been deadly serious about becoming a vampire, and she managed to calm her nerves enough to explain to him why she wanted to do this. And by the end of the night, they had wrecked the house with their passion for each other. They were always intense in the bedroom, keeping it in the bedroom for Lily's sake, but after they made up after the fight, it had been unlike anything she had ever experienced before, which suited her just fine. And since then, they had gotten so much closer.

So here they were saying goodbye to Lily as she willed herself not to burst into tears as she kissed her daughter's forehead. She smiled a little as Damon promised Lily she could call them anytime she needed them and that they would be home as soon as Mommy was better.

"Last chance to change your mind," Damon said softly as they pulled away from Jenna's house. "Just say the word Elena and we'll go home."

"Forever and always Damon," Elena said firmly. She knew how much Damon wanted to have this experience with her, how much her being a vampire for him would mean; and she new how complete they would be if she made this change. Damon had always longed for a family and woman to love him as much as she did, and she knew they could survive together after Lily had lived her life. "And I mean that in every way. We are going to be together forever. And I am ready to start my new life with you."

Damon kissed the back of her hand. "You know I will always be with you," he said, squeezing her fingers. "I will always be here to protect you and to help you through anything. You would never, ever be alone Elena."

"I know," she whispered, leaning over to kiss him softly. "Because you are the best husband ever."

He smiled. "And you're the best wife ever," he said as they headed out of town.

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A/N: Not sure how u guys will like this chapter. There's not a lot of dialogue, but I hope you liked it anyways.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Last chapter. I know so sad. Hope you guys enjoyed my first baby fic. I'm pretty happy with the way it came out, considering 2-3 chapters I added to the original fic. Thanks for all the reviews

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16 years later….

Lily rested her chin in her hand as she sat at the table at the Grille. Her long dark hair fell around her face as her dark brown eyes scanned the restaurant for her dad. She smiled a little at a couple girls she knew from school, but sat back to wait. The back of her neck tingled a little as her eyes darted to the door, taking the man that had entered. He was so gorgeous, one of the hottest men she had ever seen, the hottest already being married to her mother. Her dad embarrassed her sometimes with the way her friends fawned over him. When her eyes met the new occupant of the restaurant, her heart leaped. She didn't really talk to people she didn't know, but there was something about this guy.

"Hi," he said warmly, his eyes twinkling. "You look so familiar."

She almost rolled her eyes. She had heard that a million times before. "I look like my mom," she said with a shrug. "I get that all the time." The older she got the more her face began to shape to that of her mother's, looking more and more like her as the years past.

"Is she as pretty as you?" he asked, sliding his hand into his pocket.

Her dad told her mom regularly how beautiful she was, their love each other always radiating through the house. She had never seen two people more in love, but her Aunt Jenna and Uncle Ric were close behind."Her name's Elena," Lily said. "Perhaps you know her." Everyone in town knew Elena, it was hard not to, being a founding family.

The man froze, his eyes darkened a little. "Oh my god," he said in shock. "She… you're her daughter?"

And instantly the warm tingles she was feeling changed to loud warnings that were like gongs going off in her head. Lily rose to her feet, an uneasy feeling her stomach. "You sound surprised," she said crossing her arms. When her mom and dad had sat her down to tell her about how she came to be in this world, she had been horrified. She could never imagine something so horrible happening to her mom, and for a brief time it had killed her that she wasn't biologically related to her dad. So she knew it was surprising when people who knew her mom found out about her. But this man's reaction was different, made her stomach churn a little.

"I'm sorry," he said, his demeanor softening. "I didn't think she went through with her pregnancy."

"Which was over 16 years ago," Lily said in annoyance. He looked so familiar, but she couldn't place his face. It was irritating her that he was passing judgement on her mom when he hadn't been around in so long. "Who are you anyways?"

"Stefan Salvatore," he said. "Sorry, bad manners."

Her eyes widened. She had seen him in pictures. There were a million photo albums at the house, more pictures then anyone could imagine. There was no way. "Are you related to Damon Salvatore?" she asked. Damon has mentioned he had a brother but they didn't talk about him much. She knew a little about him, but neither of her parents had wanted to bring him up in conversation, not finding it important to tell her about him. Slowly she was beginning to understand why.

"You know Damon?" he asked, glancing around in alarm.

"Is that a problem?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. It was like he was afraid the boogey man was going to jump out and attack him. How could someone have such a bad reaction to a family member? She had wanted a brother or sister for a long time and once she found out the truth about her parents, she had understood why she was an only child. She would have loved to have a sibling.

"You have to stay away from him," Stefan said. "He's dangerous."

Lily rolled her eyes and headed outside, growling a little when he followed her. "Leave me alone." His gorgeous face and eyes aside, Stefan's attitude wasn't appealing to her. He didn't even know the kind of man his own brother was, didn't know anything about their lives for the last 15 years or so. Everyone in their life knew how happy they were, how great of a life they had. Only her mom's friend Bonnie didn't like her dad, the witch unable to ever get over his past deeds. They hardly ever saw the woman, she barely visited, moving out of Mystic Falls as fast as she could.

"You're mother wouldn't want you near him," Stefan said, grabbing her arm when she tried to walk away again. If only he knew exactly what was going on between her mother and his brother. It would blow his mind.

"Get the hell away from my daughter," someone snarled.

Stefan jumped, as Damon moved between him and Lily. "You're not serious," he said.

"I'm fine," Lily said pushing her hair from her face. "Nothing happened." She had seen first- hand how violent her dad could be, especially when she or her mom were in danger. Some vampires had attacked her and her mom when they were out one day, and although she had been scared out of her mind, she had seen more bloodshed, created by Damon, then she ever wanted to see in her life. God help anyone that dared to lay a finger on his family. But she didn't want to see him hurt his own brother when the worst he had done was be annoying.

"What did Elena do?" Stefan asked glaring at Damon. "What did you do to her?"

"Things are different now Stefan," Damon said, clenching his fists, clearly trying to calm his nerves. "And if you ever touch either of them like that again, I'll rip your arm off." He slid an arm around Lily and led her back inside. "Hi Angel."

"Hi Daddy," she said with a giggle, as they sat at their usual table. After she had accepted that he wasn't her "real" dad, she had been a little angry and hurt, but they had worked things out. She felt it brought them closer together, their relationship so much stronger than it had ever been before. Damon was so good about making sure he spent quality time with her, cherishing the rare gift he had been given. "So that's your brother?" She was intrigued, but mostly just from curiosity.

"Yeah," Damon said. "You sure he didn't hurt you?"

"Nope," she said, as the waitress brought them their usual drinks. "We were just talking, he was being annoying. So where's Mom?"

"Doing like… shopping or something with Caroline," he said with a shrug.

She and Caroline had gotten so close. Caroline had been her baby sitter, and since she had become a teenager, Caroline had helped her through so many things. "Do you think… Stefan would go after Mom?"

Damon growled a little, a dangerous possessive tone in his voice. "Yeah, I'm going to give her a heads up," he said, calling his wife. "Hi sweetheart," he greeted when she answered. Lily loved the way his eyes twinkled when he was talking to her mom. She couldn't count the number of times she found them making out together or doing mushy things for each other.

"Hey," she said happily. "I'm almost there. I swear."

"I heard that before," Damon teased. "But I wanted to tell you, I saw Stefan outside, and he saw Lily, talked to her. So just… be careful." It was clear to her that her parents had talked about this subject together, obviously ready for him to return out of the blue.

"Is she okay?" Elena asked.

"Everything is fine," Damon said firmly. "We're here waiting for you, but I'm sure he's lurking outside. Going to give you some kind speech about what's happened over the years."

"Alright, I love you," she said.

"Love you too," he said, hanging up.

"Shouldn't… your brother be happy you have a family, considering the circumstances?" Lily asked. She knew quite a bit about vampires, her parents wanting her fully prepared for this life. Damon even trained her to defend herself, god forbid something should happen when her parents weren't around. She was extra careful when she was alone, not one to go looking for trouble, unlike her mother. She had heard numerous stories of Elena's adventurous days.

"It's complicated," Damon said tiredly. "Stefan… really loved your mom. You know that. And he doesn't… forget things easily. The way he sees it, I stole her from him, which is not what happened. He was gone for almost a year before she fell in love with me. But he won't see it that way." Her mom had told her many things about Stefan, about how he didn't want her to have a baby.

"If he loved her he wouldn't have left," she said with a shrug.

TVD***TVD***TVD

A block away…

"I would say it's nice to see you, but I'd be lying," Elena said folding her arms as she faced Stefan for the first time in almost 17 years. Her hair was a little bit shorter, a little past her shoulders and away from her face. She was a little paler than usual, her curves filling out nicely as she had gotten older.

"I can't believe you kept your baby," he said shaking his head.

"Why, because she wasn't yours?" Elena growled. "And we both know this isn't about her. This is about Damon."

"So you just… set up house once I left?" Stefan asked.

"Exactly Stefan," she flared angrily as she shoved in the chest. "You left me at the lowest point in my life. I loved you so much and you abandoned me. You just left because you couldn't handle me being pregnant. Damon was there for me. He was my friend. He took care of me when I was sick, made sure that I was eating, and sleeping. Everything that you were supposed to do for me. Yes he took care of me and yes I fell in love with him along the way. And we didn't get together 'til Lily was born."

"But he's a vampire," Stefan said in confusion. "How'd you explain that to her?"

"She's grown up with us Stefan," Elena said. "So she know the truth, about both her parents."

His eyes widened. "You… he turned you?" he whispered.

"He not only turned me Stefan," Elena said softly. "He married me." And she held up her hand, displaying her wedding band. There was a small silver band with tiny stones adorning it with a wider silver band with a three stone ring above it. "He's given me everything I could have ever wanted. He helped me find myself again, helped me fix my life and he is the best father anyone could ever ask for."

"This isn't want I wanted for you," Stefan said, shaking his head.

"You didn't want me to be happy Stefan? Good thing it's not about you," she said sadly. "And if you do something to hurt my daughter, like hurting her father, you'll regret it." And she walked away. She rounded the corner to enter the grill, a bright smile on her face as she joined her husband and daughter. "Hey you two."

"Everything okay?" Damon asked, as she slid into his side of the booth, kissing her softly.

"Everything is perfect," Elena said, sliding her hand into his under the table. "Should we eat?"


End file.
